


Hope's Light

by wingslayer36



Category: DC Animated Universe, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-07
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-21 11:40:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3690915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingslayer36/pseuds/wingslayer36
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thomas May has known both a life of joy and tragedy. Due to his father's death, he was forced to abandon his dreams of attending college in order to support his family. However, he does this without a single complaint and always makes sure to have a smile on his face.  That hope sent out a powerful wave throughout the galaxy that caught the interest of the Blue Lantern Corps: the Guardians of Hope throughout the universe. Tom is selected by a Blue Power Ring; the first human to ever to chosen, and is thrust into a world filled with potential adventure and danger. His first task: Help the Blue Lanterns rebuild.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hope's Light

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, all! This is my first fic that I am posting to this website. If you are unfamiliar with the Blue Lantern Corps, they are Lanterns that utilize the Blue Light of Hope. I encourage you to read about them as they are my favorite of all the 7 Lantern Corps. I hope you all enjoy!

Sweat poured from my skin as the heat of the blazing sun bore down on me. The weight of the wood sent waves of pain through my shoulders, causing it to feel twice as heavy as it was. Cutting wood to make a living had not been my first choice, but I had to start somewhere, and my mother and siblings needed the extra bit of income. Off in the distance, I could hear the foremen yelling for me to hurry up. He didn’t understand my own limits. In his eyes, we were nothing but revenue makers, and my dollar signs kept shrinking day after day. I wasn’t built for this kind of work, and I had known that when I signed up to work for this company. My arms were not as large as some of my coworkers, and nor did I have their strength or endurance. However, my heart was twice the size of any of them, and my dedication to the job, I’ve been told, spoke volumes of my character. The other guys did their best to help me out, but they could only do so much. They gave me the lighter loads and let me take more quick swigs of water, but they had to make sure that the foreman didn’t notice anything different. He would sack me on the spot if he thought I wasn’t pulling my “equal” share of the work.

I never understood why the men were so kind to me. They were rough Canadian men who were native to this wild land unlike me. Well, it wasn’t really very wild; it was Grand Forks, British Columbia, which had a population of about 4,000. My family had moved here when I was 14 and, for 6 years, we’ve called this place our home. The people were very welcoming of the strangers from America, and were all there to support us when the very work I do now took Daddy’s life 2 years prior. My father had been much better suited for this work. He had been a strong man who was not afraid to work hard and get dirty to make sure his family was taken care of. I once asked them if it was because he was so well liked that they treated me so well, but they all said no. They respected the late Deckard May, but to me, Thomas May, they said that I carried something in me. None of them could tell me what it was, but something in the way I went about my work never complaining and always with a smile on my face made them feel……hope. Working with me made the work feel less tarrying and invigorated their spirits so that they could give their best efforts. I never knew what to make of what they said, so I just continued to do as I did and quit worrying about kindness when it was freely given.

Henri, one of coworkers, seeing the strain in my back and neck, called for everyone to take a quick 5. The heavy machines that made cutting the trees so easy did little for moving them off the hills that dominated this place, so we still had to lug them the old fashioned way. Setting the bundle down, I sighed out as my shoulders were relieved even if it was for only a short 5 minutes. I would make sure to cherish every one of them. I smiled at Henri, knowing full well that the foreman would yell at him for calling this break, but we were already ahead of schedule, and the owner loved Henri, which made me feel confident that he would be fine. A water bottle was passed to me and I drank my fill slowly so I would keep it down. This was our last haul of the workday. Soon, I would be back home in the comfort of my father’s chair with my mother, sisters, and brother all trying to tell me about their days. My mother, Harriet May, hated that I had to work instead of going off to college like she and my father had wanted, but she understood that she could not make enough money on her own to raise 3 other children. However, the compromise was that no mention of logging or the mill would be mentioned in the house, and I had no trouble agreeing to those terms.

Those precious 5 minutes passed quickly, and I was back to carrying the wood up the hill the drop off point. I felt a second wind blow through me as my thoughts went to my family. They were the reason I was willing to work this hard, and they would help me see the end of another hard day. Today had involved felling a rather large section of the forest, and we had to work a few hours over our normal schedule. It was voluntary to stay, and staying had put us ahead a few weeks. I had decided to stay for the extra money and the chance that we could end early and I could spend the last few weeks of the work months with my family. The foreman had been annoyed by my decision, but he had no choice but to let me work. My value to him may have diminished over the month I had been working, but the owner, a friend of my father, had faith in me. I would not let the faith go wasted. Finally reaching the top of the hill, I let my cargo fall, a bit ungracefully, the ground with the other cuts of wood. My left shoulder, specifically, was causing me more than a few problems. I wiped the sweat from my brow before massage my shoulder. Sharp needles of pain stabbed throughout the muscle, causing me to hiss out. However, despite the pain, I felt a sensation of…..completion. I had worked the extra hours with no complaint and I didn’t break. The other guys were telling me that I did a good job pulling through, which only made me feel more proud. However, my happiness soured when a curtained pinched-face man made his dramatic appearance from behind the pile of wood. “Dates, what took you?” He barked out, his eyes honing immediately to Henri.

“Apologies, foreman, but the last haul was larger than the rest. I had the boys here take a few extra breaks so we wouldn’t break.” He replied dryly, his voice leaving no question that he did not want to deal with the foreman’s bullshit.

“A few extra breaks!? You should have been here half an hour ago.” He snarled

“All due respect sir, but being a half hour late should not take precedence over the fact that we are three weeks ahead of schedule because of these hard working boys. If you have an issue with how I run my boys, please take it up with Mr. Arnolds.” He said curtly, leaving no room for a reply. He simply walked away from the foreman with the rest of us following him. The foreman hissed and cursed at him, yelling that he would do just that, but none of us were too worried. Mr. Arnolds was a fair man who knew just hard Henri worked. He would still have a job come tomorrow. I was invited to go grab some drinks with the guys, but I politely turned them down. I told them that my mother was cooking pot roast tonight, the first in months, and I didn’t want to miss that. They all wholeheartedly agreed with me and waved me off. 

Walking home didn’t take long. My father had picked our house because it was equidistant from the lumber mill and the center of down town. Both were a 45 minute walk each. Our home was a simple place: a log cabin built no more than 30 years prior to our family moving in. The house grew with us as we made our lives in it; my father and I worked hard to maintain and improve the original building. Before he died, we managed to add on two additional bedrooms, expand the living room, and bring the entire internal structure into the 21st century. We had all grown extremely fond of this place, and having this place to come home just gave me another reason to wake up, put on my vest, and start another work day.

I made it back home and, upon entering, I was immediately assaulted by a little boy who hugged at my legs: my brother Ross. “How’s it going, little man?” I asked him, picking him up. I winced slightly from the use of my shoulder, but pushed the pain aside in favor of the 3 year old. 

“I helped Mommy make dinner.” He said in that adorable timbre that only a 3 year old could conjure.

“That he did.” I heard my mother call from the kitchen.

Still carrying Ross, I walked through the living room and into the kitchen. I had already smelt the tantalizing scents when I entered the house, but now I was immersed in them. I could feel the saliva flowing in my mouth and my stomach let out a fierce growl. I hadn’t ate since my lunch, and that had been hours ago. “Welcome home, Tom. I hope you’re hungry.” She said to me, turning her head to face me. 

“Very hungry, Momma.” I replied, tapping Ross’ hand in the process. The little rascal was trying to reach down for some of the mashed potatoes. He just giggled and laid his head on my, thankfully, less aching shoulder. His favorite activity was…..well, anything I was doing at the time. I regretted not being able to spend time with him since he was always stuck at home with his sisters, and I knew how much they liked to mess with him. Momma was putting the last of the macaroni in a bowl before moving it with the rest of the food on the table. Whenever Momma made something considered special, we always ate family style at the dining table. The girls liked to eat in the living room, but even they knew not to complain about this rule to Momma’s face. “Girls! Supper’s ready!” She called loudly.

I sat Ross down in his booster chair before taking my own spot at our table. My sisters, Gabrielle, age 17, and Katherine, age 15, respectively called Gabby and Kat, made their ways into to the dining table. Momma had already set out all of the plates and silver before I had got home. All we needed to do was say grace and chow down. We each grabbed hands, forming a circle, and Momma began, “Blessed Father in Heaven, we thank you this evening for this meal. We ask that you bless the food about to grace our lips so that it may nourish both our bodies and spirits. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” 

We all dropped hands and began loading out plates. Momma had made pot roast, green beans, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese. It was a true feast, and I made sure to get a lot of everything. My sisters were talking about their day at school. Gabby was going on about her day with her friends, and Kat was doing her normal routine of just sitting there and eating. She doesn’t talk too much, so you know it’s pretty important when she does speak. I, myself, don’t usually contribute too much to family discussion unless I was helping my sisters with homework because most of the things I could talk about was the stuff that happened at work, and I didn’t want to break the house rule. So, instead, I sat there and ate my food while listening and only commented on what they said. 

During dinner, the topic of college finally came up, as I knew it would, and I felt a twinge of regret in my stomach. Gabby was a senior in High School and was, essentially, packed and ready to head to the University of British Columbia in the fall as a recipient of the school’s Schlich Leader Scholarship. It was a very prestigious award that gave the recipient $20,000 CAD a year, enough to cover tuition and housing. It was also the same award I had to turn down because of Daddy’s death. I truly was happy that my sister managed to win the reward also, but a part of me was jealous that she got to go out and further her education while I had to put mine on hold. I never told her this, and I never will tell her this because she deserves to be proud and happy of her achievement. I had hope for her, and I knew she would do great.

Dinner started to wrap up and I began to help my mother with the dishes, but she just told me to go relax in the living room. “You’ve worked too hard today, Tom. Let us handle the clean-up.” She told me. Momma wasn’t one to be argued with so, before that, I went to my bathroom and took a shower to wash off all the sawdust. I put on a nice soft T-shirt and some bed shorts before returning to the living room and talking a seat in one of the armchairs: the large red one that Daddy had always liked. Ross crawled up into my lap with one of his books in his hands and asked me to read it to him. He, himself, was only just starting to learn how to read, and he loved it when Momma or I read to him. The ladies had finished up with the dishes and left to go to their respective rooms, but Momma stayed. She offered me a beer, which I gladly accepted, before sitting down with a glass of red wine. I sipped my beer while reading to Ross. I read to Ross until it was time for him to go to bed. He said goodnight to both of us before going off to the room we shared. My mother was giving me a look, so I inquired, “What?”

“You just reminded me of your father. He used to read to you like that, remember?” She asked.

“Yeah, I do. I always made him keep reading me Green Lantern comics.” I replied, remembering those times fondly. 

“I know he’s proud of you, Tom.” She told me, mist starting to cloud her eyes.

I reached out wrapped her up in a tight hug. Daddy’s death was still so raw for her, and I wanted to help her. I had so much hope in her, and she had equally the same amount of hope in me. She held on to me until the moment of weakness washed over her and left, leaving her very tired. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and said, “Good night, my sweet boy. You better get some rest to. You got an early day tomorrow.”

“I have an early day every day.” I sighed back. She just pat my arm and walked off to her room. I sat back down in the chair and just let the sensation of being alone fill me. Being alone was a rare treat for me because I was surrounded by the boys at work and my family here. I loved both groups, but being alone helped recharge my own spirit. It let me organize my thoughts and plan things out. Plus, I could shift my focus to just my own well-being instead of worrying about all the people around me. I decided to go for a walk outside to help clear my head some more. It had been sunset when I had gotten home, so I figured it was probably around 10:30 PM right now. Nighttime at our house was pretty cool because we were surrounded by trees. It gave the area a more……sinister look, which I, personally, liked. My family was the opposite and thought I was a weirdo, which, to be honest, was pretty accurate. 

I was watching the night sky when I say a streak of light flash through it: a shooting star. Normally I don’t indulge in idle superstition, but tonight I felt like doing something different. They always said that, if you saw a shooting star, you got a wish. So, I closed my eyes and starting thinking about what I could wish for. Normal people would wish for fame, money, or success, but I think I have already established that I wasn’t very normal. I, instead, wished for the future of my family, the town, and the logging site. Times were getting hard around here, so I wished that all the families of Great Fork had hope for all of their endeavors and reap success from them. I opened my eyes right when a bright flash appeared in the sky. It looked like another shooting star…….except it was flying right at me! I jumped back before a blue orb fell right in front of. Instead of smacking into the ground like I thought it was going to do, it just stopped falling and hovered at about chest level. It drifted towards me, floating just inches away from me. Slowly I reached my hand out and touched it. Instantly, the blue metal retracted and disappeared altogether, and it left behind a similarly blue ring.


End file.
